Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 7-14mm 1:4.0 review

28th February 2008

Written by Gordon Laing

Samples

The following images were taken with the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f4.0 lens. The first two images were taken with the Olympus E-410, and the remaining images with the Olympus E-500. Both cameras were set to their best quality SHQ JPEG modes and their default settings for tone and noise reduction. Unless otherwise stated, the pictures were taken in Program mode, and the individual file sizes, shutter speeds, aperture, ISO and lens focal length are listed for each image. Note the file sizes for the E-410 samples are larger due to its higher 10 Megapixel resolution.

The crops are taken from the original files, reproduced at 100% and saved in Adobe Photoshop CS2 as JPEGs with the Very High quality preset, while the resized full images were made in Photoshop CS2 and saved with the High quality preset. The three crops are typically taken from far left, central and far right portions of each image.

Outdoor: 7.05MB with E-410, Program, 1/160, f9, ISO 100, 7-14mm at 7mm (equivalent to 14mm)

				This shot of a tree was taken with the 7-14mm zoomed-out at close range and from a low angle – as such there’s inevitably geometric distortion with straight lines converging. But the impressive thing is just how sharp the crops are when viewed at 100%. Even with its extreme coverage, the 7-14mm is capable of delivering very sharp details across the frame.

Outdoor: 6.40MB with E-410, Program, 1/5, f4, ISO 400, 7-14mm at 7mm (equivalent to 14mm)

				This shot was taken at dusk with the 7-14mm at 7mm. The subject matter has hidden any geometric distortions and we’re left with an enormous field of view which simply couldn’t be captured with a typical kit range. Branches against an overcast sky will reveal purple fringing on most lenses, but the 7-14mm keeps the effect minimised. The crops are again packed with detail and a large depth of field even with the aperture open at f4.

Market: 5.31MB with E-500, Program, 1/40, f4, ISO 400, 7-14mm at 7mm (equivalent to 14mm)

				This shot of a market stall was taken with the 7-14mm zoomed-out to its widest angle. Bustling crowds forced us right up-against this stand, but the ultra-wide coverage still allowed us to easily capture items for sale both on and above the table. The crops reveal consistent sharpness and optical correction across the image even with the aperture wide open.

Indoor: 5.21MB with E-500, Program, 1/15, f4, ISO 800, 7-14mm at 7mm (equivalent to 14mm)

Another image taken with the 7-14mm zoomed-out to 7mm.

Here the wide coverage has delivered a dramatic result with a large depth of field, again even with the aperture wide open.

The crops reveal higher noise levels due to a sensitivity of 800 ISO on the E-500. There’s also some motion blur due to camera shake with the 1/15 exposure.

Market: 5.07MB with E-500, Program, 1/30, f4, ISO 400, 7-14mm at 7mm (equivalent to 14mm)

				Back at the market and the ability to get close to foreground subjects while still capturing plenty of background tempted us into shooting at 7mm once more. Some geometric distortion is inevitable here, but it’s impressively low for a lens of this focal length. Again, viewed at 100%, the image is consistently sharp. The last four gallery shots are also impressive considering they were all taken with the aperture wide open.